The Bonds of Time
by Sapphire Luna
Summary: In order to avoid having his child receiving the curse seal, Neji asks Hinata to pretend his child is hers while he finds a solution. Lies will continue to pile up until the burden is too heavy for anyone to hold. Parenting won't be easy for others as wel
1. Prologue

Hi hi! Before you start reading this, there's things I must say. First, this fanfic has been in my head for more than a year now. I never wrote it before because I thought I wouldn't have enough time, or that it would be too long etc.. But the story won't leave my head, so I must write it! Why? Because I can assure you this will be the best fanfic I have ever written. Trust me. If you thought my others fics were good, this will be better! That's why it's very important to me that you take some of your time to read it.

Also, at first I had planned to make this story in two parts. The first part would feature only Neji, Tenten and the people closest to them, then the second part would feature everyone and be both a sequel and a prequel to events in part one. That would mean a lot of time skips and loops and going back and forth in time, which would be confusing. That's why I decided I would write part one and two as a whole, and all the events in chronological order. Of course that means many chapters are to come!

So now the main plot revolves around NejiTen, but everyone else is there too as side stories within the main story. Does that make sense?

And yes, this fic is about the characters being older and having kids, which may sound lame to some, but I swear it'll be the best kids fic you've ever read or your money back!

Ok, I'll shut up now!

* * *

**The Bonds of Time**

**Prologue**

The lazy Jounin yawned as the sky slowly turned golden, announcing that his time was up and that he should probably return home soon, unless he felt like receiving a rain of nagging. Which he rarely avoided. Ah, she was going to nag anyways, so five more minutes here wouldn't hurt.

" Shikamaru."

The young man turned his body in the grass at the sound of his name and quickly recognized Ino's legs as they blocked his view. Great. She had personally come to drag him home.

Much to his surprise, the blond girl sat next to him and turned her gaze to the clouds he was previously watching. His eyes were on her now. He could tell something was up. She had not come here to scold him.

" Ino?"

" Have you heard about Kiba?" she asked, keeping her look on the sky.

" Yeah..." Shikamaru turned her back to her as if hearing the Inuzuka's name was painful. " That's just too bad."

" Do you think he'll make it?" Ino asked in a soft tone.

" I don't know. Becoming a single dad at such a young age... "

Ino felt her heart jump.

" About that..." She was thankful her boyfriend still had his back turned to her, because she knew she'd have trouble speaking to his face. " There's something I wanted to tell you..."

A pause.

" You're pregnant?"

" I am..."

" Troublesome..."

Nevertheless, Shikamaru smiled.

000

000

Kiba was finding it hard adjusting to his new life-style. He was still grieving over the loss of the baby's mother. Everyone knew it he was hurt, so they were trying their best to help. Today, Shino was teaching him how to correctly change diapers. Kiba was amazed.

" Where in the world did you learn how to change diapers?" he asked.

" My wife had her baby last month."

Kiba almost choked.

" Your wife was pregnant!? Wait, YOU HAVE A WIFE?! AND YOU NEVER TOLD US??"

" I guess I didn't."

While Kiba went on and on about how unbelievable Shino was, the Aburame watched the little girl be amazed by a bug on his finger. Named Kouga, the baby had black eyes and brown hair, much like Kiba's. The young man now had full custody of her. Together with Akamaru and Haimaru, one of his older sister's three dogs, Kiba was taking care of Kouga as well as he could.

" What's her name?" Kiba asked, annoyed.

" Who? My wife or my daughter?"

" Both, actually!"

" My wife is named Yanma. She's also from the Aburame clan. My daughter is named Aruki."

" Is that so..."

Despite him being secretive, Kiba never would have thought that Shino wouldn't tell anyone about his family. Then again, Shino _was_ strange.

Then Kouga bit Shino's finger and ate the bug, and Kiba started freaking out a little.

000

000

Later in the same year, Hinata decided to leave Konoha for a two year training at a well-known temple somewhere in the Grass Country where they trained strong Kunoichi. While much stronger than she was in her younger years, the fact that she was the last of the group to become a Jounin bothered her. She didn't want to leave her friends, especially Naruto, whom she still loved after all those years, but she truly wanted to become stronger for everyone's sake and as the heir to the Hyuuga clan.

000

000

Shikamaru found himself fidgeting like mad in the narrow hallway of the hospital. It didn't help that Ino's father was standing in front of him, just as nervous. Inoichi had almost strangled the young man when he had learned Ino was pregnant. It took some convincing from Ino's mother to let him live. Shikamaru's own father was there too, but he seemed patient enough.

" Calm down, Shikamaru!" his mom who was sitting beside him said, more as an order than an advice. " You won't have any fingernails left if you won't stop biting them."

Ino's mom was in the room with her daughter who was now in labor. Shikamaru had been mentally preparing himself for this day for months, but even so, he was unable to stay by Ino's side, fearing he might faint. He was becoming a dad today. If Kiba and Shino could handle it, he should too. Thank God he wasn't the first in the gang to have a child! Having a child should be no problem. He could handle it. How troublesome could one single baby be?"

" Congratulations! They're twins."

Crap.

000

000

While Kiba was still crying over the loss of Kouga's mother, Chouji was crying over his lack of girlfriend. His teenage crush on Ino had been broken when Shikamaru announced they were together, and while he had more love interests later, none of them were ever interested in _him_.

" You're a kind guy, Chouji," Shikamaru would say. " Someone who's just right for you will surely come up eventually."

Eventually was taking such a long time! There he was, 24 years old, never had a girlfriend. How sad.

000

000

Speaking of sad, Lee was experiencing a recent break up, and was taking it pretty bad. Sakura had politely turned him down for the last time long ago. When he had finally found a girl that liked him, things went wrong. She truly wanted children of her own, but all attempts failed. After taking the proper tests, they found out that Lee was the cause of the problem. A physical defect was keeping him from producing children. His girlfriend left him because he couldn't make her dream come true.

Lee was devastated. Tenten felt sorry for him. The poor guy had not been gifted by nature in terms of looks, he was unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and now even his sperm was no good. Depression did not fit Lee, and him being alone had to be avoided. So Tenten had told him he could stay over as long as he needed until he 'recovered'.

Lee's recovery was starting to take an awfully long time. Three months after the break up, he was still squatting Tenten's apartment half of the time, sometimes even spending the night there in her guest room. At least while he was at her place, he did all of Tenten's chores as thanks to her kindness, so the girl did not mind him being there. Her company seemed to cheer him up, and Tenten was willing to overlook the lack of intimacy for her friend's sake.

000

000

Tenten sat in her bed, reading a book by the dim light of her bedside, when someone came in casually. She didn't even look up from her book as the visitor placed his forehead protector on the bedside and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off his shirt.

" Was Lee here today?" he asked as he settled under the covers.

" Yeah. He left not too long ago."

Now, if Lee was at Tenten's place half of the time, Neji was there the other half. Unlike Lee, however, he had a spare key and did not have to use the guest room. As a squad leader, he was often away on missions, but he came back to her apartment more often than not. Although he had extra clothes there, a toothbrush and other personal items, Neji was not officially living with her. About three nights out of seven, he slept at his home in the Hyuuga compound, for the sake of appearances and because certain clan obligations bound him there. Those of the Hyuuga clan who were paying attention to his coming and going suspected he had a secret girlfriend where he spent most of his nights, but only Neji's close friends knew that he was with Tenten.

Sometimes he'd come in the middle of the night after a mission and silently slipped in bed beside her sleeping form, and sometimes he'd be gone when she would wake up. Still, he'd find the time to be together with her when it mattered.

Tenten finally put down her book and turned to Neji.

" I saw Ino's twins the other day. They're so sweet."

" Yeah."

The young woman scooted closer and nuzzled his neck. Neji knew where this conversation would lead.

" Wouldn't you like us to have kids as well?"

"...no."

Tenten jerked back.

" Why not? You don't want me as the mother of your child?"

Neji sighed.

" That's not it."

" Are you scared or something?"

" Tenten, I'm from the Hyuuga branch family. Any child of mine would be born into the branch as well and receive the curse mark. I don't want that."

Tenten couldn't help glancing at the blue mark on her boyfriend's forehead as he said that. Right. That stupid mark. Neji's status never bothered her before, but she had to admit she didn't want her child to receive that dreaded curse and be binded by it forever.

" Isn't there some way to..."

" No," he cut her off. " There is no way."

Tenten felt sad and was silent. Damn Hyuuga Clan. Not only was it keeping Neji from fully living with her, it was also keeping her from having a child that wouldn't have to risk his or her life to protect their bloodline limit. All for the sake of those pretty white eyes.

" But..." she tried, " I'm not a Hyuuga. Therefore, there's a 50 percent chance the child will inherit my eyes, right?"

" That's not a gamble I'm willing to make," Neji responded almost harshly.

" There's a one out of two chance that it won't have the Hyuuga's eyes. Even if it does, we'll figure something out!"

" Tenten..."

He was ready to argue when she climbed on top of him and pinned his shoulders down.

" Neji. It'll work out. Please. "

The man stared at her determined face intently, all kinds of scenarios running through his head. Then he brought a hand behind her head and kissed her.

" Let's see what happens."

Tenten beamed and threw herself at Neji. They kissed some more as the girl ran her hand softly along the man's torso.

Neji pulled back and gave his girlfriend a skeptical look.

" Do you really want my child or do you just want me to make love to you?"

Tenten smiled mischievously.

" I want both."

* * *

Kyaaa that was the prologue! Chapter one is already up so please read it now before making up your mind about this story!


	2. Chapter 1 : Gamble

Chapter 1! Yaaays!

Disclaimer: I no owns Naruto or its characters. I do own a very nice Tenten figure...

**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter 1: Gamble**

Tenten came running to Neji one fine morning, smiling happily.

" Guess what!"

" You're pregnant," Neji said as fact, not a question.

The girl blinked.

" How did you know? I just found out myself."

" I've been using Byakugan on you every day since last month..." the man said almost coyly.

" What!? That's not fair! You knew and you didn't even tell me?"

" Right."

She should've punched him but she was so happy that she threw herself in his arms instead.

00

00

In a noisy pub somewhere in Konoha, Ino and Shikamaru's fathers, Inoichi and Shikaku, watched in awe the little baby boy they had sat on a table in front of them.

" He totally takes after me!" Inoichi said proudly.

The child had dusty blond hair just like his Yamanaka grandfather and brown eyes.

" But he has my eyes!" Shikaku pointed out.

The two grandfathers were distracted from their arguing by a voice behind them.

" I'd appreciate if you did not bring Kotarou to such a place."

Shikamaru reclaimed his son as he shot his father an annoyed look.

" Tell us, why in the world did you name him Kotarou instead of something starting with Shika?" Shikaku asked.

" Yeah, " Inoichi continued. " What about the Ino-Shika-Chou line? Your daughter was named Inori, so why would you not name your son Shika-something?"

" Because cycles are troublesome. Beside, I like the name Kotarou, so there."

Happy to finally be back in his father's arms, the child and his dad left the pub to meet with his mom and thirteen-minutes-older sister.

" And may I remind you that you two also have a _grandaughter_?" Ino shouted from the entrance.

She was annoyed that her father and father-in-law were more interested in her son than daughter just because Inori wasn't a boy. The baby girl had black hair like all her Nara relatives, and blue eyes like her mother.

So far, Shikamaru and Ino were doing good enough as parents. So far...

00

00

Unlike Kiba, whose daughter was never-endingly crying, and scaring all potential girlfriends away. Now, Kiba was known to be a player who had yet to beat his own record of two months for longest time a girlfriend was kept.

Kouga required constant attention, which greatly reduced the Inuzuka's time for flirting, or cleaning around the house. (Though the latter he never did do much from the start.) Despite his poor parenting skills, no one could deny that he was trying hard and that he really cared for this child.

00

00

Lee had been ecstatic when he had learned Tenten was pregnant. Gai had been even more. Both the future mother and father had been showered in gifts by the two. Now that Tenten's belly was getting bigger, she would not go on missions anymore, and Lee would be with her even more often.

His overly excited behavior got on her nerves when she was trying to rest, but on the other hand, Lee seemed to have forgotten his old break up and was expecting this child as if it were his own. He specifically insisted that he would do _everything _from now on and that Tenten should just sit and 

relax. At first she appreciated that, but soon got bored as hell. Lee refused that she'd do anything that resembled a chore, no matter how easy it was. She asked how Lee could possibly be with her everyday, despite his work. He answered that taking care of her was more important than any mission.

Lee was by her side in the morning when she had nausea, was guarding the bathroom door when she showered (she insisted she did not need help there), and was keeping her entertained on evenings where Neji did not come home. When the Hyuuga did come to spend the night, Lee would leave but return early the next day.

" I finished the laundry and dinner is on the way," said the smiling man as he sat by his friend in the living room.

" Thank you, Lee," said the woman as she stroked her belly. "You're too kind."

" It is my pleasure to make sure you do not need anything!"

" Oh, the baby kicked!"

" Really?" said Lee like a child who was just offered candy. " May I?"

Tenten nodded and Lee got closer and placed his hand on the woman's bare tummy, feeling for anything moving.

" I feel it," Lee beamed. "What an healthy fellow!"

Neji chose that moment to come in, and was greeted by the strange image of Lee caressing Tenten's stomac in awe, sitting not even an inch away from her. The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow.

" What is going on here? Lee, are you hitting on my girlfriend while I'm gone?"

Lee jerked up instantly and blushed while Tenten gave him an amused look. She knew Neji was joking, but Lee did not .

" Of course not! I would never do such an unsightly thing! I was merely..."

" Merely feeling her? " he said perfectly stoically.

" No, no! The baby...um..."

Neji smirked in amusement at the other man's staggering and Tenten got up and motioned him to stop making fun of Lee. The Hyuuga smiled.

" Lee."

" Yes!" Lee answered, ready to accept his punishment.

" Would you like to stay for dinner? "

Lee looked up hesitantly from his bowing position and nodded happily at his friend's proposal after seeing his honest smile.

While he wouldn't say it in words, Neji trusted Lee with his life and could leave the village for a few days without worry, knowing Tenten couldn't be in better hands.

00

00

A few weeks later, Tenten was depending more and more on Lee now that she had started having those strange cravings pregnant women have. She would send him off to get her this or that food item in all possible weather, day after day.

At first Lee accepted that as a special mission bestowed to him, but he quickly grew tired of chasing after hard to find items at all times, sometime even having to run to another town to get it.

" I have returned with the double fudge ice cream you requested!"

"Oh, thanks. But you know, I think I would rather have some nice watermelon right now."

" But Tenten, " Lee said in an exasperated voice. " It is winter. Watermelon is not easy to find..."

" I know but I'd _really_ like some watermelon. "

Lee sighed.

" I shall find you some. "

"Please get me the newest issue of 'Nin Gear Monthly' on your way back, okay?"

When Neji came back that evening, he was greeted by yet another strange image, though he was now accustomed to it because he was seeing them often these days.

Tenten was sitting ungracefully on her couch, surrounded by many cushions, pigging out on watermelon and reading her magazine, extending her feet on the coffee table while Lee was massaging them.

As soon as he saw Neji, Lee shot him a look of distress, tears almost appearing in his eyes. The older man felt sorry for him for once.

" I'll take it from here, Lee."

Lee let out a thank you and bolted out of the apartment.

" Look what you're doing to him," Neji noted.

Tenten ignored his comment.

" Aw, he didn't finish massaging my other foot," she said as she waved her foot in Neji's direction.

" That's too bad."

She pouted seeing that her attempt at getting Neji to finish the job had failed. Her boyfriend sat down next to her.

" I hope that baby gets born soon, you're becoming a spoiled brat."

Again, Tenten ignored the comment and turned to him.

" Say, do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

" It's a girl."

" How do you know?"

Neji turned his head away from her, almost in shame.

" You didn't!"

The man's silence only proved her right.

" You used your Byakugan on me again!? You could see it was girl and you didn't tell me?"

" I thought you'd like the surprise."

It's not that Neji was impatient, but as the weeks passed, he was getting more and more worried. Would the baby inherit his eyes or Tenten's? Would it become part of the branch family or would it be an ordinary child? He would've liked to pass down his Hyuuga heritage to his offspring, but to avoid his child going through the same things he had, Neji was willing to let go of that idea and hope for a little girl as beautiful as Tenten instead. Fifty percent chances. One out of two. Which one would it be?

00

00

While Naruto was eagerly awaiting Hinata's return, Sai, unlike his friends, felt no need for love or children. Watching Ino nagging at Shikamaru or Kiba unable to calm Kouga's incessant crying was enough to turn him away.

Sakura's situation was different. Sasuke, after many events from the past, was forbidden to come back to Konoha. That wasn't enough to keep him away though. He snuck in often enough to see Sakura and his friends. And while every Jounin in town was ordered to capture him if spotted, most 

would just chase Sasuke out the village when they saw him, without really trying seriously (not that any of them could really catch Sasuke anyways).They knew he wasn't dangerous to the village and that he only came in for Sakura's sake. Some of them even pretended they had not seen him when they had.

When Sakura was saying to Izumo and Kotetsu guarding the village entrance that she was going for a stroll in the woods, they knew she was meeting with Sasuke somewhere. Long-distance relationships were hard, but Sakura had waited for so long, she wasn't about to let go.

00

00

Tenten was due any day now. Walking was becoming a pain, and Lee refused to leave her side, even when Neji _was _there. He'd go to bed after making sure she was sound asleep, and he'd wake up before she did, in time to make her breakfast.

One fine afternoon, Tenten started being in pain. Her moans alerted Lee who came running instantly. She grabbed his sleeve.

" Lee... I think it's time!"

The poor guy started panicking like crazy and running in circles.

" Oh my God! Oh my God! What should I do? What should I do? And Neji is away on a mission at a time like this! Oh my God!"

" LEE! CALM DOWN!" Tenten called. "Listen to me! You're going to take me to the hospital, and you're going to do it without attracting attention, okay?"

Lee took a deep breath, scribbled a quick note for Neji in case the latter should come back, and delicately took Tenten in his arms and ran off as fast, yet as carefully as he could to the hospital.

Sakura was currently working at the hospital, despite being a few months pregnant herself. Lee insisted that she handled the delivery, which she gladly accepted.

While Sakura was making sure everything was going the way it should, Lee stood beside Tenten's bed and cheered.

" Push, Tenten! You must push! Push!"

" Shut up, Lee!!" the pained woman growled.

Not in the mood at all for her friend's bright personality right now, Tenten still squeezed Lee's hand pretty hard as the baby came out.

" It's a beautiful healthy baby girl!" Sakura smiled as she handed the mother her child.

Lee cried tears of happiness as if _he_ were the father.

00

00

It was around midnight when Neji arrived at the hospital, panting from running so fast. He would've been there earlier if he hadn't been delayed by Lee's cryptic note. He had written the note so fast that he had forgotten some katakana characters. 'negi byou ten' : leek second heaven, instead of 'neji byouin tenten': Neji hospital Tenten, had the man rather confused.

The footsteps woke the woman up.

" Hi," she said with a tired smile, her baby sleeping in her arms.

" I'm sorry for not being there."

" That's okay. Lee was with me the whole time."

" Thanks," Neji said to the sleeping man on the chair beside the bed.

The Hyuuga finally approached her to take a look at his daughter.

Tenten gave him a weak smile.

" She's got your eyes."

End chapter one. Yay! How was that? Do you like the story so far? I really hope you do! Please give me feedback, good or bad! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. One week or two. The plot thickens next chapter. Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 2 : Request

Uugh I'm taking a break from homework. Can't take it anymore o.o

Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter! Special thanks to Whitepheonix13 for being the very first person to comment D The story really starts now so pay

attention.

* * *

**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter 2 : Request**

Tenten checked out of the hospital the very next morning. Sakura came in early that day to check on the new mother and child and found the young family preparing to leave already. The pink-haired girl strongly suggested they stayed longer just in case, but Tenten shook her head sadly. Neji had spent the entire night thinking about the situation and there was only one thing he could do for now.

" Sakura," he said as he approached the nurse. " For our sake, please pretend that the baby was born dead."

" What? Why?"

" My family can't find out I have a child right now. Please. It must remain a secret from everyone."

Sakura was disconcerted. She glanced at Tenten to see the girl's reaction to this idea but Tenten wasn't protesting.

" You can't hide a baby forever! You want to lie to everyone?"

" Please," the man pleaded.

Sakura knew of the issues of the Hyuuga clan, but she never thought Neji would go as far as to pretend his child did not exist. She nodded sadly.

" Thank you."

00

00

Neji ordered Lee the same he did Sakura. _It's unfortunate, but the child was born dead._

" Even to Gai-sensei?"

" Even to Gai, Lee."

Gai's sadness would be enormous when he'd hear the lie from Lee. He had been hoping so dearly for this child.

Tenten took the tiny girl home with Neji and enjoyed her very first day as a mother. The baby had some black hair and her white eyes shined brightly by the rays of the sun. While the mother whispered sweetly to her child, rocking her softly, the father was restless.

Why did she have to be born with his eyes? It would've been so simple if only she had received her mother's eyes! Sakura was right about being unable to hide a baby forever. Should he just let his child receive the cursed seal after all? Or beg his uncle not to do it?

Like hell he'd beg! There had to be some other way. The Hyuuga cursed himself for being unable to be happy when becoming a parent. When he watched Tenten nursing their child that day, he found it so beautiful that he promised himself he would do anything to save his offspring.

That evening, Neji did not sleep at all. Not because of the baby crying all night, but because he had found a solution. And Tenten wasn't going to like it.

00

00

Shikamaru lied lazily on his back on the couch, with his twins playing on him and crushing both his stomac and lungs. He lacked the strength and willpower to do anything so he just stayed there, dreaming of the days when he didn't have to stay home all day to babysit children while his wife (Ino's father had insisted they got married if he was going to steal his baby-girl away) was out shopping. Surprisingly enough, the young father fell asleep.

Shikamaru did not know how long he had been sleeping, but when he woke up, both twins were gone.

He wasn't ready to freak out just yet. He went looking for them. Inori and Kotarou were barely one year old. They could crawl, but they couldn't have gotten far. He hoped so, at least.

He quickly found Kotarou after the boy succeeded in turning over a potted plant, spilling earth all over the carpet.

" Oh God, troublesome! Ino is going to kill me!"

Shikamaru grabbed his son and placed him in his pen, and went looking for the next kid. When he couldn't find her, that's when daddy started freaking out. Ino would be back any minute now. How was he supposed to tell her he lost their baby?

He then spotted Kiba out the window.

" Oi, Kiba!" the man called out. " Perfect timing. Over here."

The Inuzuka came over, holding a small puppy and followed by Akamaru.

" What's up? I'm kind of in a hurry to get this puppy to my older cousin's son..."

" Where's your kid?"

" Haimaru is watching her."

Shikamaru blinked.

" You let a dog babysit your daughter?"

" So what," Kiba growled. " Haimaru is the best babysitter for her."

"Anyways, tell me, can you smell Ino around?"

Judging from his friend's nervous face, Kiba could tell Shikamaru had screwed up.

" I do," the dog-boy said after taking a whiff. " She's coming closer."

" Oh man! Listen, you gotta help me!"

A few minutes later, Ino came in with many shopping bags and was surprised to see Kiba in her home along with her husband.

" Hi, Kiba. Where's your daughter."

" At home with Haimaru."

" A dog is watching your child?"

" Yes! What's so wrong about that?" Kiba grunted, annoyed everyone said the same thing.

Ino ignored Kiba's barking before turning to Shikamaru. " How were the kids?"

Shikamaru pointed to the pen where the two babies slept peacefully.

" Angels," he said with a fake smile.

Shikamaru had gotten Kiba to help him clean up the mess Kotarou had made, and also to temporary transform his puppy into Inori in order to fool Ino while they searched for the real baby.

" I bought some gorgeous new shoes!" the young woman beamed. " Want to see them?"

Just as she said that, Shikamaru spotted Inori in kitchen behind Ino, climbing on drawers he had carelessly left opened, filled with potentially dangerous cutlery.

" Aaah-I'd love to!"

Ino bent down to take out her new shoes out the bag, and Shikamaru used this opportunity to motion nervously to Kiba to go get Inori. The woman shoved the shoes in her husband's face.

" See? Aren't they pretty?"

Shikamaru gave her a very fake smile and tried to keep the woman from turning around.

" R-right. Nice shoes. How much did they cost?"

Ino was probably too excited to wonder why Shikamaru would even care about her newest acquisition and did not notice Kiba retrieving her daughter from the kitchen.

" Ok, I'm gonna leave now," Kiba said nervously as he hid the girl behind his back. "See ya..."

He bolted out and Ino just shrugged. She took her shopping upstairs to her room and Shikamaru let out a big sigh of relief. The fake baby poofed back into the puppy, and the man took it outside to quickly exchange it for his daughter back with Kiba.

Somehow Shikamaru had managed to cover all of his screws up with the children so far. All...how many now? seven of them.

00

00

Hinata was coming back today. She had sent a letter announcing it. Neji knew, that's why he had been waiting for her for hours near the village entrance. He needed to make sure he'd be the first one to meet her. Hinata was his only hope now.

When the young woman finally showed up, radiant, beautiful and more confident, her cousin spotted her from quite a distance and jumped out to her.

" Hinata-sama!"

" Neji-nii-san??"

His sudden arrival startled her, but she was happy to see her first familiar face in two years.

" It's been so long! How are you doing?"

" Tenten and I had a child."

The woman's face lite up.

" That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you both!"

" Yes..."

Hinata could tell Neji had something on his mind, that he had not come up here because he couldn't wait to see her.

" Is something the matter, Neji-nii-san?"

The man's expression was one of dejection, one the girl wasn't used to seeing on his face.

" I need your help. My daughter received the Hyuuga eyes... I don't want her to be part of the branch family."

" Oh..." Hinata's eyes saddened as she understood what the problem was. " I'm sorry, but I don't think Father would exclude her from the seal nor make her a main branch even if I asked..."

" I know. That's not what I'm here to request. I know I haven't always been good to you in the past, but I have an important favor to ask of you. No one can help me but you."

Hinata's eyes widened as her cousin got on his knees and bowed down.

" Hinata-sama, please pretend to be my child's mother!"

The surprised woman held a hand to her lips. She never expected that would be the request.

" W-what? What for?"

Neji still had his head down as he explained.

" Don't tell them I'm the father. Just pretend it's your baby for a while. If it's you, she will be accepted as main branch. Please. I will figure something out."

" But..if Father were to find out... That's too risky. I'm sorry but..."

The man's voice was shaking now.

" I don't want her to be like me. I'm begging you. Hinata-sama..."

Hinata's body was shaking too. It was unbearable to see her beloved cousin reduced to this.

"Alright."

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" No! I refuse! I won't let you!"

Convincing Tenten to agree to his plan before he even went out to ask Hinata had been much harder.

" Tenten, it's the only way to protect her!"

" It's only been four days! You want me to send my daughter away?"

" I'm sorry. There's no other way. Marrying outside the clan has always been highly discouraged."

The woman shook her head violently.

" No! Let those main house jerks come and I'll beat them up!"

" Tenten, they are stronger than you both physically and socially. I'm powerless against them too. They will come for her eventually. That's why it's best if they think she is Hinata-sama's daughter. As a friend, you'll be able to come visit. And it won't be forever either."

The young mother had tears in her eyes.

" That's not fair. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was so looking forward to having this child."

The Hyuuga held her in his arms.

" I'm sorry. It's my fault."

" I hate your stupid clan," she sobbed. " And all its stupid rules."

" I know..."

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Hinata hesitatingly stepped into the main hall of the Hyuuga compound, holding a baby that wasn't hers. Neji followed closely behind. The room was filled by maids, advisors and Hyuuga Hiashi was there too.

" Father, I have returned from my training. It's good to see you again."

" Yes," the man said sternly. Then he noticed what she was holding. " What is that?"

Hinata 's heart started beating faster, and Neji's too.

" That's...that's my daughter, Father."

The maids whispered to each other and Hiashi got up from his seat.

" What? How did that happen!?"

" While in the Grass Country, I was...raped and this child came out of it."

" Inconceivable!" the old man growled. " You are a shinobi, are you not? How could you let that happen?"

" I'm sorry, Father!"

" Obviously that two-year training was worthless."

Neji felt sorry for her, and guilty that his cousin was getting this harsh treatment for his sake.

Hiashi returned to his seat and sighed.

" Have you come up with a name for that child?"

" Her name..."

" Hinata-sama, " Neji said in order to help her. " Didn't you say you liked the name Aoi for her?"

" R-right. Her name is Aoi."

" Fine. You may go."

The cousins got out and sighed in relief. The lie had worked perfectly.

" Thank you. I'm in your debt."

Hinata shook her head.

" I just want to help you. Here, would you like to hold her?"

" No. I don't want to arise any suspicion. It's best if you keep her with you."

" But is Tenten-san really okay with this?"

Neji turned his head away.

" Of course she's not..."

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End chapter 2! How was it? Please tell me if you like the story so far. Also, if you have any questions about the story whatsover (things that aren't clear etc.) feel free to ask them and I'll answer at the beginning of the next chapter. Okay?


	4. Chapter 3 : One Night

Yaaaay chapter 3! This chapter is dedicated to Blondie89, WhitePheonix13, Coolsteel, Ariel32 and The Loud Silence Mistress because I can!

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**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter 3 : One Night**

Hinata never wanted to agree to Neji's plan. Deep down she wanted to say no and run away. She was scared, and that fear was constant now that she had agreed. She was afraid her life would change if she had a baby that wasn't hers, and of course she feared what would happen to her and Neji if the truth got out. However, it was too late to back down now.

She did want to escape, but running away was what Neji was already doing by lying and hoping for things that didn't exist. They couldn't both run, she thought. One had to stand their ground until the other stopped running.

She loved children, at least, so taking care of Aoi wasn't so hard. The news about the Hyuuga heir coming back with a baby had spread like wildfire throughout the village. Soon, everyone knew except for...

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"Naruto!" Sakura called with a waving hand to her friend. " Ino and I are going to see Hinata's baby! Are you coming?"

The blond man choked on his ramen.

" Hinata's what?"

" Her baby!" the girl repeated with a smile. " She returned home with a baby!"

Naruto's face darkened as he forced on a smile.

" She did, uh? That's...great. So she had a child over there in the Grass Country..."

Sakura noticed the change of tone in her friend's voice.

" Is something wrong?"

Naruto pulled on his usual happy grin.

" Nah! I'm fine. I'm gonna let you girls have your fun and sit this one out. See ya."

The blond-haired Jounin walked away sadly, leaving Sakura slightly perplexed.

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Ino joined Sakura and the two headed to the Hyuuga compound with gifts for the new mother.

" It's just so sad what happened to Tenten and Neji, isn't it?" the blond girl said while she eyed sadly the flowers she was holding. " Losing their first child at birth like that..."

" Yes..."

Sakura looked at the ground as she walked. All their friends had believed the lie and all had given words of sympathy that Neji and Tenten accepted painfully, hearts aching at the falsehood.

Once they've reached Hinata's place, maids directed them to the new 'mother' and inside the two girls noticed Tenten was there as well. The brunette was holding the baby while Hinata watched.

The Hyuuga greeted her friends and Sakura and Ino got closer to have a look at the daughter.

The pink-haired girl had trouble hiding her shock as she automatically recognized Aoi. So _that _was what Neji had in mind when he asked her to tell everyone his child was born dead. Tenten looked at her with cheerless 'please keep quiet' eyes.

" Wow, she's so pretty!" Sakura exclaimed with false joy.

" She is!" Ino added. "Tell us, who's the father?"

" It was...I don't really know," Hinata lied.

" So it was a one-night thing? I must say, I never would've expected that from you, Hinata!" Ino said with a surprised face.

Hinata didn't reply. She thought best to leave things like that and keep lies to a minimum.

" Tenten! Quit hogging the baby! It's my turn to hold her!" the blond demanded.

" Right..."

Tenten reluctantly handed over her daughter to the younger girl. As much as she liked Hinata, Tenten hated the fact of letting another woman take care of _her_ baby. At least the Hyuuga heir was a caring foster mother but still...

The four young women shared a cup of tea while Aoi slept in her crib, one of the many baby items that was provided to Hinata by the family. Suddenly, the little girl started to cry and Tenten got up from her seat instantly, driven by motherly instincts to go check on her. Ino gave her a strange look and Tenten sat back down. Hinata went to see Aoi and rocked her in her arms lightly, whispering sweet 

words . The rightful mother suddenly felt much frustration that came quite apparent to Sakura. The pink-haired girl felt truly sorry for her, realizing that her friend had agreed to Neji's idea unwillingly.

Later, Sakura and Ino left, leaving the remaining two girls alone. Realizing it was feeding time, Hinata whispered to her guest.

" Aoi-chan has trouble getting used to normal milk so quickly after her birth. You know, no one is watching now, you could feed her if you want..."

Tenten smiled sweetly at Hinata's suggestion and prepared to do so. The younger girl turned away politely, a bit embarrassed to watch.

" Thank you for doing this for us, Hinata-chan. It really means a lot."

" I'm sorry things have to be this way for you two."

" I haven't seen Neji all day," the mother said in grumpy manner. " I bet he's not even worried about his daughter at all..."

" That's not true, Tenten-san. Nii-san was there this morning before you got here. He's the one who fed Aoi-chan her bottle..."

There was a moment of silence, but it was abruptly cut as both girls almost had a heart attack when someone suddenly knocked and opened the sliding door to Hinata's room without waiting for a reply.

" Neji-nii-san!"

" You really scared us!"

The man said no greetings but instead frowned when he saw Tenten breast-feeding Aoi.

" You can't do that. It's too risky! How would you have explained that if someone other than me had come in?"

Tenten said nothing, since he was right. Hinata stood up.

" It was my idea, Neji-nii-san. Please don't be angry at her!"

Neji ignored his cousin and continued to eye his girlfriend.

" It's time you went home. You can't stay here forever."

" I'm staying." Tenten said defiantly.

The young man sighed and sat down with the girls, allowing Tenten to stay a while longer. Once his girlfriend was done, he extended his arms towards his daughter in a silent demand for Tenten to pass 

her to him, which she did. Hinata had never seen such a tender look on her cousin's face and felt as thought she was intruding on the scene by being there.

Time passed and Neji left, dragging Tenten with him.

" You should go back home now."

"Are you coming back with me?" she asked while pulling on his sleeve.

" No, I have some mission reports to write," he answered as he brushed her hand off him.

" Then let me stay at your place tonight."

" No. This isn't your place to be."

" You're always staying at my place, let me stay at yours for once! I don't feel like being alone tonight."

" Fine, but we have to be quiet."

Neji promised himself that was the last time he would give in to her. Things would go wrong if he allowed her to do as she pleased. He led her to his room, making sure no one payed attention. His room was exactly as Tenten remembered it: clean and sober. She hadn't been here in years since Neji always refused to have her over.

Neji brought her some dinner and lent her some clothes to sleep in. Then he sat at his desk and began filling in reports. Tenten sat in his bed, doing nothing but thinking to herself , looking at her boyfriend's serious report-writing face every now and then.They spent the evening quietly like that.

" Are you bored? " the man asked without leaving his eyes from the papers. " I told you I had work to do."

The woman shook her head.

" I'm fine."

When Neji turned to look at her later, he saw she had fallen asleep. He spent some time just examining her sleeping face. He knew Tenten was taking everything that had happened much harder than he did. He felt sorry for her but at the same time had faith in his actions.

Neji watched her loose hair sprawled on the pillow and the steady movement of her body as she breathed and was reminded of the first and only time he had brought her here, in his own bed. It was five years ago when they had officially started going out, but it still seemed like yesterday.

The young man turned off the desk lamp and went to sleep beside the smaller form of the girl he had fallen in love with many years ago.

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The warm rays of the sun shined through the curtains when Tenten woke up. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, and was disappointed to see Neji was gone. She saw a note he had left for her on the desk.

_I have some business to take care of. Make sure no one sees you coming out and go home. I'll see you later._

The girl frowned. Typical unromantic Neji. No 'I love you' or even a 'have a nice day'. _Make sure no one sees you coming out._ It annoyed her to no end how he insisted on keeping their relationship secret from the Hyuuga clan. Dating outside the clan is looked down upon, he says. So what? Ridiculous.

She refused to go home like she was instructed. She went to see Hinata and Aoi again instead.

And Tenten went to see them the next day. And the next day, and the day after that.She went everyday. Neji told her to stop coming to the Hyuuga compound so often or she'd blow their cover, but she continued to go, forcing herself to skip a day only once in a while.

Meanwhile, people from the main branch were starting to talk, wondering why in the world this friend of Hinata's kept coming back day after day, hanging onto the baby more than Hinata herself.

Then one day, it happened. Hiashi Hyuuga himself came to her and made it quite clear that she had nothing to do here.

" Hinata has enough maids helping her with the baby already, you are not needed. You're out of place here. I'm going to have to ask you to stop coming so often as you do not belong here."

Hinata protested in vain and Tenten clenched her fists, holding both sadness and anger in. '_This isn't your place to be'. 'You do not belong here'. _Both Neji and Hiashi shared the same words. Clan really did matter too much to these people.

" I see," was the most polite thing she managed to say.

Then she walked away. As soon as she passed the gate of the Hyuuga compound, she began to run, fighting back tears.

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When he heard what had happened from Hinata, Neji went to see Tenten to make sure she was okay.

She wasn't.

When her boyfriend came in, she was sitting at the table and said nothing. He wanted to tell her ' I warned you not to come so often!' but he knew better than that. He sat down with her.

" How are you feeling?" he asked.

Tenten ignored his question and spat at him.

"_You_ can see her anytime and no one will complain! _You_ belong there! I'm just an outsider."

" Yes."

That simple answer highly irritated her.

" I'm tired of this. Aoi is only three weeks old! You're rarely over there, who will make sure she's okay?"

" I trust Hinata-sama will. You can count on her. And I'll make sure to stop by often enough."

Suddenly, Tenten got up from her chair and glared at the Hyyuga's eyes.

" You're more worried about Hinata's father finding out the truth than you are about Aoi herself, aren't you?"

" That's right," he replied in a voice as calm as ever. " Like I said, Aoi is perfectly safe with Hinata-sama. But it's not impossible for the others to find out the truth somehow."

" Hinata-sama..." Tenten repeated. " Have you stopped to wonder how much stress and strain you're putting on Hinata-chan? This is unrelated to her, yet she's the one with the biggest burden out of all of us! You forced her to do it for you!"

" That's..."

Tenten was rapidly losing her temper because she couldn't understand how Neji could not feel the same way she did about their daughter. And before she would say things she could regret, she asked him politely to leave.

He did as he was told without a complaint. He took full responsibility for what was happening and couldn't blame his girlfriend for being upset lately.

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Hinata was tired. The baby kept her awake at night, as did the thoughts of Naruto not coming to see her even once ever since she came back. What did he think of her having a child with a stranger in the Grass Country? Or was he told the story about rape?

She couldn't tell him the truth. She feared Tenten and Neji would be mad if she did not give Aoi one hundred percent of her attention, therefore she barely went out at all. No more missions either. No more Kiba or Shino nor her other friends.

No more Naruto.

She sacrificed her normal life for the love of her cousin. And it hurt her. The change was too drastic for her.

Just like the night before and the one before that, Hinata had dry tears on her face as she slept.

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To be continued!

Aww poor Hinata! She's hurt by her own kindness.

This chapter lacked a funny side story with Shikamaru or Kiba XD Next chapter will have one.


	5. Chapter 4: Test

No special comments today.

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**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter 4 : Test**

Because she didn't need a maternity leave anymore, Tenten was assigned missions again. However, before she even could go on one, she fell ill.

Stress, depression and irritation had taken their toil on her. Neji, who used to come see her four times out of seven, barely came at all anymore. When he wasn't on missions, he'd keep an eye on his daughter, leaving Tenten in the dust, albeit unawarely. He didn't even know she was sick, which only helped in making her feel worse.

Lee hadn't stop coming to see her regularly though, and he was very worried to find her with a high fever. The man had insisted that she stayed in bed.(Not that she had the strength to get up anyways.) He sat on a chair beside her bed and kept her company, making sure to avoid subjects involving any white-eyed person.

The first day Lee spent the entire night by her side, changing the wet towel on forehead frequently as she slept. When he woke up in the morning, he found himself kneeling on the floor with his head buried in his arms on the girl's bed. He quickly brushed himself off and hurried up to change Tenten's towel, which had fallen off during the night. Lee placed his hand on her forehead first to feel if the fever had gone down. The man's expression saddened as it had not.

A moaning sound was heard.

" Tenten! How are you feeling?"

"...Neji..."

Lee held her hand.

" No, it is I, Lee."

" Lee..." she whispered with difficulty. " I feel awful... Am I going to die?"

" Do not be ridiculous. You will be better in no time!"

Yet, Lee couldn't help but feel pity for the poor woman covered in sweat and unable to get up. She looked in so much pain.

" I know! You go take a nice cool bath and I shall make you some breakfast!"

Tenten shook her head.

" I'm not hungry..."

" You have not eaten anything yesterday! Please make an effort. "

The weakened women made her way arduously to the bathroom and Lee headed to the kitchen. While the eggs were frying, the young man silently opened the bathroom door just a bit. Not to peek, of course. Lee just needed to make sure Tenten had not fainted and drowned or anything. He could see the tip of her shoulders and her face. She seemed to be in deep thoughts. The man returned to his cooking, somewhat relieved.

The bath did not help very much and Tenten returned to her bed, still wearing her pajamas, while Lee brought her her food and encouraged her to eat. The sick girl only managed to swallow a few bites before turning her back to him.

" I...I wish he were here..."

" I know," Lee answered sadly, patting his friend's arm. " I am sure he is busy somewhere..."

Despite the current ups and downs in their relationship,he knew Tenten still longed for Neji's presence. However, Lee also knew his former male teammate had a unusual way of showing he cared.

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As Hinata's cousin, Neji could be near her when he wanted without being told off. Although their relatives did wonder why the young man suddenly became a caring cousin to the Hyuuga heir. '_You're so kind' _the maids would say when they saw him helping Hinata with the baby.

However, despite Neji's best efforts at not arising suspicion, unbeknown to him , rumors started spreading throughout the Hyuuga compound.

" Isn't Neji being _too _kind?"

" They're always together now, aren't they?"

" You know, yesterday I saw him coming out of Hinata-sama's room at night..."

" Hey, don't you think Aoi-sama somehow resembles Neji?"

" Now that you mention it, they do have a similar face!"

" Also, he _was _with Hinata-sama when she came back!"

" You don't suppose..."

" Impossible!"

Hiashi eventually got word of those rumors, founding them absolutely absurd at first. But as more and more proof added up, he began to have doubts. His daughter sleeping with her cousin? There's no way Neji would stoop so low. The head of the Hyuuga clan was lost in thoughts when his nephew came in, handling him some papers. The older man snapped out of it as he accepted them and he stared intently at Neji for a few seconds.

" Something wrong, sir?" the young man asked as he replaced loose bangs.

" It's nothing. Good job."

" If you'll excuse me..."

As Neji spun around to leave, a long dark hair fell from his ponytail. Hiashi observed it as it gently flowed down to the ground. Once his nephew was gone, he picked it up and stared at it longly.

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Chouji almost had a heart attack when Ino suddenly appeared before him without warning and nearly threw her daughter into his arms extremely fast.

" Chouji, hi! Could you please babysit Inori? Okay? Bye!"

Before the man could even understand what just happened, Ino had darted off in a flash, leaving Chouji baffled standing alone with a crying baby in the middle of the street.

" Wait! Ino! What am I..."

The blonde was already way out of sight when Shikamaru appeared next, as fast as Ino did.

" Yo, Chouji, take care of this for a while, I'll see you later!"

" Eeeeh??"

Shikamaru ran off as quickly as he came, without waiting for an answer, dropping off his son 's stroller in the process.

It happened so fast that it took a few seconds for Chouji to realized what was going on. The disconcerted Akimichi now had two crying babies and two friends who gave him the slip. Inori and 

Kotarou were known throughout Konoha as the loudest babies and Shikamaru and Ino were known to have the worst parenting skills, (second only to multi-girlfriending, no-cooking-no-cleaning Kiba Inuzuka).

It's not that they didn't mean well, but the young parents had had more than their share of waking up five times a night, barf-stained clothes, strong diaper odors, broken vases, destroyed shoes and every other joy that came with being a parent. And right now they needed a break, even if they had to impose in on Chouji.

The man sighed. What irresponsible parents. Chouji placed Inori beside her brother in the double-seated stroller and did his best to calm the twins down. A few funny faces did the trick, and he took them to the park.

It was a warm and sunny day, and many mothers had had the same idea and were walking through the park with their stroller. Chouji felt somewhat ashamed, as he were the only man there.

Then a lady walked passed him and smiled at him. The man smiled back, unsure of what he did to deserve the gesture. Another women smiled at him, and another one did too, after commenting on how adorable the twins were.

Chouji snickered. They thought the children were his and they were smiling at how wonderful and rare it was to see such a young father taking out his children for a stroll. The Akimichi couldn't deny that he liked the attention. He sat on a bench and played with the kids when a pretty young woman came by to take a look.

" Wow, aren't they cute!" she said as she bent over the stroller. " You are such a lucky father!"

Chouji blushed. Gosh, she was pretty.

" Actually, they belong to my friends. I'm babysitting for them."

" Babysitting so your friends can get some time off? That's so kind! Well, see you around!"

Chouji watched in disappointment as the girl walked away but grinned as he realized he had never never spoken to so many women in one day!

The next day, Chouji _demanded_ that Shikamaru and Ino let him babysit their kids again. The couple agreed without any second thoughts.

" Well, we get another day off parent duty..." Ino said as she traced Shikamaru's jaw line with her finger seductively. " Do you know what we could do with our free time?"

The man brought his wife closer to him.

" Oh, I know _exactly_ what we'll do."

And they spent the whole day doing absolutely nothing. Because being able to do nothing is the real bliss when you have children.

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When both Hinata and Neji were summoned by Hiashi, both hearts started to beat faster. Even more so when they entered the Grand Hall and the Hyuuga head met them with a most furious expression.

" Y-you wanted to see us, Father?" Hinata asked timidly.

" You told me that Aoi was born from a rape in the Grass Country, didn't you?" the old man asked his daughter sternly.

" Y-yes. That's correct..." the young girl lied.

Neji was trying to keep a cool face, but he could feel sweat on his temple. He was very afraid of where this conversation was going.

" If that's the truth," Hiashi began as he took out some papers, " Neji, why does it say here on those lab results that you and Aoi have matching DNA?"

Oh. God.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, but Neji scowled at his uncle as sweat rolled down his face. DNA tests. He never would've thought someone would do this. He was just about ready to tell the whole truth when Hinata's father spoke again.

" Of all the women, Neji! Why did you choose to defile my daughter, your own cousin!?"

The young man sighed mentally despite the harsh condemnation. Apparently, Hiashi was still convinced Hinata really was Aoi's mother and felt unnecessary to test her DNA along with his. If he had, there is no way he could've explained why Aoi did not carry Hinata's DNA along with his.There was still a way he could save this.

" I'm very sorry, Hiashi-sama," Neji said as he bowed his head to his uncle. " I did not mean to disgrace anyone. Yes, I am Aoi's father. Hinata-sama and I... It just happened. I did not want you to get mad, that's why I asked her to lie about the rape."

Hinata was stunned by the absurd lie his cousin had just come up with. She couldn't believe he had just openly admitted they had slept together. Without her consent, no less. How she wished he would've just said the truth!

Hiashi placed a hand on his face and sighed in an exasperated manner.

" I never would've expected that from you, Neji. I'm very disappointed in you. Fine, but don't you dare try this again!

" Right. Thank you, sir."

"And you," the father said as he turned to Hinata, "we'll discuss your punishment later. You may leave."

Once they were far away enough from the hall, Hinata finally found the strength to speak again.

" Please, Neji-nii-san! Please don't lie to my father any more! I want to help you, but I'm afraid this is only going to end badly!"

" Your father stole my DNA and performed tests on my daughter for God' sake!" Neji snapped. " What else was I supposed to say? I shouldn't have been seen with Aoi this much in the first place. I was careless..."

" But _you_ are her parent! I'm not!" Hinata said boldly. " You are dragging me too much into this!"

" What's done is done! There is no use fighting over it now that the truth about me being the father is out!"

Neji stomped away, pissed things went out of his control.

Hinata frowned at her cousin's back as he left. Neji somehow appeared more and more selfish to her.

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A few days later, Tenten was well enough to get out again, no thanks to Neji never coming even once. But she wished she would've stayed home when she heard the people on the street.

" Hey, you know the genius Neji Hyuuga? Word is he's really the father of the heir's daughter!"

" No way! With his own cousin?"

Tenten could not believe what she was hearing. What the heck? People knew Neji was Aoi's father now? Yet they still believed Hinata to be the mother? If the two of them were a fake official couple now, what did that make her?

"Neji...what the hell are you doing?" she mumbled to herself.

Things got worse when her friends came running to her, demanding explanations.

" Tenten! What's that about Neji and Hinata having a baby? Isn't he your boyfriend?"

" Why don't you go ask _him_!" Tenten replied, irritated. " I don't know anything anymore."

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" That's none of your business!"

That's the answer those who dared to ask Neji received. Granted, now he could take care of Aoi without fear, but he could always hear people talking behind his back about his 'unacceptable' behavior with Hinata. Still, he had missions so he still had to leave the baby with his cousin. That, and staying home all day to take care of a child was something he had trouble to do and thought best left to women.

The Hyuuga was just about to leave the village when he encountered Lee. Instead of commenting about the thing with Hinata, the younger boy brought up another troublesome subject for Neji.

" Tenten is furious. You have not seen her in days! And now these rumors..."

Neji did not say anything. The last thing he needed was a lecture from Lee.

" I wish you would take better care of her..."

" And I wish you would mind your own business!" the long-haired boy said as he passed his friend.

Lee wouldn't let him go until he was finished, though.

" Tenten was terribly sick!"

Neji stopped in his tracks upon hearing those words.

" She had a bad fever, and had to stay in bed for days!" Lee continued. " I stayed by her side, but she kept calling out your name in her sleep..."

" Is she okay now?" the older man asked, pretending to ignore that last comment.

" Yes, but..."

" Then there's no need for me to worry."

Neji resumed leaving, but Lee still had more to say.

" What would you do if Tenten told you she does not love you anymore?"

" If that should happen," the man said with his back turned, " I'll accept it."

Lee lowered his head.

" You are no longer yourself. You are making everyone sad."

Neji did not reply, and left for good this time.

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End chapter 4!

Updates are gonna be a bit slower due to college...but stay tuned!

Next chapter: Naruto finally meets with Hinata, and Kiba tries to teach Kouga how to speak. To be continued...


	6. Chapter 5 : Words

Once again, thanks for the reviews! One of the reviews actually inspired me to change something for the better from what I had first planned in a later chapter. See, reviews help!

Oh, I'm sorry of inconsistency when it comes to the –chan or –san suffix. The problem is that I don't know how everyone refers to everyone else in the anime because they don't all talk to everyone... So I'll just stick with the obvious ones. Anyways, this is several years later than the anime, so their relationships might have changed. Yeah, that'll be my excuse.

* * *

**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter five: Words**

Sitting on top of a stone hedge, Naruto was looking up at the clouds and sighed. What was happening to him? Was he turning into Shikamaru? No, he thought, Shikamaru has a relatively normal love life and family, unlike him.

Naruto was distracted from his dark thoughts by the warm smell of cup-ramen under his nose and Sakura appearing at his side.

" Sakura-chan! You shouldn't be jumping like that! Your baby..." the blond said as he pointed to his friend's swollen belly.

" I'm fine. You, on the other hand, you haven't eaten anything, have you?" Sakura said as she offered him the cup. " I brought you this."

" Thanks!" Naruto grabbed the ramen and chopsticks and ate semi-happily. " You're due soon, aren't you? "

"Yeah. I wonder what _he_'ll do when the baby gets born..."

" Don't worry, Sakura-chan! Nothing will keep Sasuke out of the village when it's time to see his kid!"

" Yup, I think so too." Sakura smiled, then shook her head. " But I didn't come here to talk about myself. I came to talk about you!"

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly.

" Me? I'm...fine."

" Oh really? You're always depressed and brooding alone lately. You're not being yourself, Naruto!"

The young man was silent for a while, but then he finally snapped.

" Why in the world would Neji do such a thing, damn it!! And Hinata...I thought that she...you know..."

" So that's it. I knew it!" Sakura grinned. " Naruto, you _do_ like Hinata, don't you?"

" What's it matter now? She's the mother of Neji's child...So I..."

He seemed so pained by sadness that it hurt Sakura just looking at him. Naruto wasn't meant for sorrow. The woman sighed.

" Naruto, it's a lie."

"Uh?" the boy blinked, confused.

" It's not true. It's not Hinata's baby. Her mother is Tenten."

" Tenten is Hinata's mother!?"

" No! Tenten is the baby's mother!"

" Tenten and Hinata had a baby?!"

" No! Hinata doesn't have a baby. Tenten does."

" But what about Neji's baby?"

" It's Tenten's baby!"

" Then who's the father?"

" Neji is!"

" But you just said he doesn't have a baby!"

Sakura hit Naruto on the head and decided to try again.

" Tenten and Neji had a baby.Or did you fail to notice Tenten was pregnant before? Hinata is pretending to be the mother, but she never had a baby herself. "

The pink-haired girl told Naruto everything, even though Neji had asked her to keep quiet. She simply couldn't bare to see Naruto suffer because of a lie. Once he knew the truth, the blond man suddenly regained all lost energy.

" It all makes sense now! Wow, Hinata sure is a kind person! Going through all this for her cousin's sake!"

" Yeah, but keep quiet about it. You're not supposed to know!"

" You can count on me, Sakura-chan!"

Somehow, Sakura had a bad feeling...

00

00

Kiba held a tiny jar of baby food in one hand and a spoon in the other and was trying the old airplane trick to get Kouga to eat. The little girl refused to take a bite no matter what he tried.

" Come on, Kouga! Why won't you eat?"

The baby turned her head away as soon as the spoon approached her face and her father sighed.

" Isn't that stuff yummy?" the man said as he swallowed a spoonful of the baby's food. " Ugh! It tastes like crap! No wonder you won't eat it! Let's see if there's another flavor..."

Kiba looked through his cupboard while the girl was fidgeting in her highchair with both Haimaru and Akamaru at her side.

" Arf!Arf!"

" No, Kouga," the man scolded as he returned with another jar. " You gotta talk with words! The dogs bark, but they understand human words."

" Arf!" the girl repeated.

" No! Say 'papa'. Come on," Kiba said as he pointed to his face. " Say 'papa'!"

Kouga looked at his father for a few seconds before answering.

" Arf!"

Kiba sighed. Kouga was already one year and a half old, yet she was still unable to speak any words. All she did was bark. She 'talked' with Haimaru and Akamaru like this, and though her barking was not actual dog words, the dogs did understand her somewhat. However, Kiba did not. He was much exasperated that his daughter wouldn't speak despite his efforts to get her to talk.

To make things worse, Kouga had yet to make her first steps. In fact, she couldn't even stand up on her feet yet. She was very good at walking on all fours, though!

Despite being part of a clan focusing on dogs, Kiba was chafed that his daughter was growing up to be a dog, and not a girl.

A familiar scent distracted the man from his daughter and he turned around to see Shino and his daughter Aruki at his door.

" Kiba, I came to see..." the Aburame's voice trailed off as he saw the inside of his friend's apartment.

Dirty clothes covered the floor, used dishes laid everywhere, the garbage can was overflowing and the stench of dog was very strong in the air. Shino frowned, but kept any comment about the Inuzuka's life style to himself.

" What the hell?" Kiba called out instead of any greetings. " You got your daughter sunglasses already?"

Aruki was indeed wearing dark glasses, a look quite unusual for a baby.

" Aburame have sensitive eyes," was all Shino said on the matter.

Kiba rolled his eyes and turned back to his daughter.

" Look, Kouga, it's Shino. Can you say 'Shino'?"

" Arf! " Kouga barked.

" Not 'arf'! 'Shino'!"

" Bark!"

Kiba grunted, and almost on cue, Aruki said 'Shino' , repeating after Kiba, and even pointed at her father.

" Papa!"

" That's right, we all know you're smart! Rub it in my face, why don't ya?" Kiba said annoyingly at his friend's baby.

He found it frustrating that Shino's daughter, although nearly 6 months younger than his, was already doing so good. Kiba got Kouga out of the high-chair and onto the floor, where the girl proceeded to play with the dogs. Shino would've let Aruki play with her, but the ground was so filthy that he decided against it. Besides, if Kiba found out that his daughter could already walk a few steps, he'd only be even more irritated.

" I don't know what to do with her," the Inuzuka started. " She acts like a dog and thinks Haimaru is her mother..."

The female gray dog was indeed following her wherever she went, making sure she stayed out of trouble, licking her face clean and sleeping next to her. Haimaru was actually making a better job than Kiba as a parent.

" Kouga needs to be in company of more people, not just dogs," Shino said.

" Right, about that, I was going to ask if you could babysit her tonight, cause I've got a date with 

my new girl."

" I can't," Shino shook his head. " You should ask Chouji. I hear he likes babysitting."

" Guess I'll do that..."

Both men turned their heads as Haimaru came in, picking up clothes off the floor in her mouth and placing them in the hamper.

" I think Haimaru is trying to tell you something."

Kiba snatched underwear from her teeth.

" Haimaru! You don't have to do that! I don't want you to act as my house-cleaner!"

The dog growled something at Kiba and returned to Kouga's side.

The man sighed.

"You never did like me, eh, Haimaru? You're so overprotective."

" Maru!" said a little voice.

Kiba and the female dog turned to the little girl.

" Maru!" Kouga said as she hugged Haimaru.

" Kouga, you said a word!" Kiba grinned. " Can you say 'papa'?"

" Arf!"

" I knew it..."

00

00

It was night when Naruto sneaked around the gate of the Hyuuga compound. Rather than going through the entrance, the blond decided to climb the high stone wall instead, in case someone would prevent him from coming in. He had business in there, and no one would stop him.

Naruto had almost gotten to the top of the wall. Just as his head peeked up the highest point, he came face to face with someone else climbing up on the other side!

The surprise caused Naruto to fall all the way down painfully with a "gah!" yelp, as the shadow of the other person jumped down on his side. The blond choked.

" Neji! What the heck?"

" Keep it down!" the Hyuuga snarled.

" Why the hell are you sneaking out of your own place?"

" If I'm seen leaving my room at night, people will start talking again," Neji explained as he brushed himself off. " Why are YOU sneaking in?"

" I'm going in to see Hinata!"

The older man frowned.

" You've got no business with her!"

Naruto raised a fist.

" That's for me to decide! Don't be so defensive, I know the truth!"

" So Sakura talked..."

" N-No, she didn't say anything about Hinata not being your baby's mother!" the blond spat out, not realizing what he had just said. " I'm going in there, no matter what you say!"

Neji grabbed Naruto's collar.

" You'll blow my cover!"

Despite the threatening act, Naruto smirked.

" You're one to talk! I know why you were sneaking out the Hyuuga compound! You're going to see Tenten, and you don't want anyone seeing you!"

When the Hyuuga released his grip, Naruto knew he had nailed the truth.

" You're the same as me. If you can sneak out, well I can sneak in!"

" Fine," Neji sighed. " But don't do anything stupid."

Of course, 'stupid' and 'Naruto' were things that went very well together, but Neji knew he couldn't stop the blond from sneaking in without a fight.

" Say hi to Tenten for me!" Naruto called out as he returned to the top of the wall.

00

00

Tenten couldn't hide her smile when she saw her boyfriend at her door. She was mad that he 

hadn't come to see her in days, yet she was still happy to see him.

" Hi," she said softly.

" Hi," he replied on the same tone.

She let him in and there was an awkward moment. The man knew she was upset about the rumor with Hinata.

" Tenten, about Hinata-sama..."

" You don't have to say anything. I know why you did it. That doesn't mean I agree with it, though..."

" Sorry, I..."

" Neji," she cut him off, " I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"

" Alright."

The two sat down and talked about other things, and although she smiled, Neji couldn't help but notice a certain distance between them. He knew it was his fault for neglecting her, but hoped Tenten couldn't forget years of being together. He remembered what he had told Lee a few days back:

" _If she should stop loving me, I'll just accept it."_

That's when Neji realized that wasn't true at all. Part of him was scared. Scared that Tenten _would_ stop loving him because of the things he had been doing. He wasn't even listening to her anymore as she was explaining what had happened to her lately. Neji was lost in the image of the woman he loved and all he could hear were the pleading words in his head he could not say aloud.

Without warning, he grabbed Tenten's waist and pulled her over to him, forcing the girl to rest her head on his shoulder as he embraced her.

" What...?"

" Please," the man whispered. " Don't say anything right now."

00

00

Hinata sat quietly in her room, reading a book by dimmed lighting, while Aoi slept in her crib. She suddenly heard a noise above her head, and looked up to see a tile in the ceiling being removed. She instinctively reached for a kunai and braced herself. A person's shadow fell down the room and Hinata lunged at it with the weapon, screaming in fear.

" Hinata! It's me!"

Naruto gasped as he just barely avoided a kunai through his chest.

" Na-Naruto-kun!?"

The blond flashed her a grin and Hinata's heart started beating faster. She had not seen Naruto ever since she had left for her training in the Grass Country several months ago. It was the first time he had come to see her after she came back to Konoha. And he had sneaked in through the ceiling to see her, no less!

Hinata was distracted from her blushing by the sound of the crying baby her earlier screaming had woken up.

" Ah, so this is Neji and Tenten's daughter! I finally get to see her!" the man exclaimed.

" You know...?" the coy girl said as she picked up the child.

" Yeah... It sucks that all this is happening. It must be hard on you and Tenten..."

" Yes..."

Hinata felt like a big weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. Naruto knew the truth. She wouldn't have to fear what he'd think of her with the lies going around the village anymore.

00

00

When Neji looked at the clock, it was almost midnight. He quickly picked up his belongings and apologized.

" Sorry, I have to go. It's late, Ive got to make sure Naruto doesn't screw up"

" I see..." the woman replied as she put on a robe and followed her boyfriend to the door.

" I'm leading a squad to the River Country tomorrow. I'll be gone a few days."

" Okay. Be careful."

" Hinata-sama said that she'll take Aoi on a stroll to the park tomorrow so you can meet her there."

Tenten smiled. Occasions to see her daughter were so rare that she wouldn't miss one for the world. The lovers said their goodbyes and Neji left. The girl was ready to close the door when she heard his voice.

" Tenten, " the man said on a serious tone ,a few steps away ." I love you."

" I know."

She finally closed the door and sighed. The tone of Neji's voice was not one of a boyfriend telling sweets words to his girl, but rather those of a person trying to convince and reassure another. Still, those words were not some Neji gave away freely, even to her. Hearing them always warmed her heart.

00

00

The light to Hinata's chambers were still on when Neji came by, and he wasn't sure what to expect when he lightly knocked on the door, making sure no one was looking. Being seen coming into Hinata's room so late would only cause another scandal.

" Um, who is it?" came the woman's small voice from the other side.

" It's me."

" Come in."

As Neji imagined, Naruto was still there with his cousin, but the two of them were just quietly sitting casually. The younger man was cradling Aoi with excitement, like a person who had never held a baby before.

" Look, it's your daddy!" he said to the child.

Upon seeing the familiar face, the baby babbled some happy sounds and tried to reach for her father.

" She recognizes you!" Naruto said in an amazed voice.

" Of course she recognizes me!" Neji answered, snatching his daughter from the other man. " It's late. We'll all get in trouble if you stay here. People will be talking again if they see you."

Naruto gave his friend a smug look.

" You're saying that, yet you're the one who's wearing his shirt backwards!"

Neji looked down at his clothes and fought back a blush, his wearing his shirt the wrong way only confirming what he had been doing tonight.

Hinata giggled lightly and turned to the blond, realizing what time it was.

" But he's right, Naruto-kun..."

" Sure, whatever. See ya!"

He waved and disappeared. Neji put the child back in its crib and turned to say good night to his cousin. Hinata said the same with such an happy smile, that the man knew something good must've happened.

000

000

To be continued!

Alright, I hope you enjoyed that! Like I said last time, updates will be slower because of college work and my job... Bleh. Feel free to make suggestions on what you'd like to see happen or try to guess what will happen. I might be inspired :D


	7. Chapter 6 : Truth

OMG I am so sorry it took so long for a new chapter! Like I said last time, college was killing me. It's all good now, so I'll try to resume updating as often as I can.

In this chapter is what one might call the climax? Well things are definitely happening. Also, regarding Sasuke, forget what's in the manga right now, since we don't know how it's going to end. In this story, Sasuke is banished from the village and hunted down if he comes in, okay?

**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter 6: Truth  
**

Naruto flied through the forest surrounding the village as fast as he could, looking everywhere and calling out loudly like a mad man.

" Sasuke! Where are you, dammit?!"

He knew his former teammate was usually in these parts of the forest, and Naruto was out of breath from running and yelling so much.

" Sasuke! SASUKE! ANSWER ME!"

" For the love of God, shut up!" came a very annoyed voice.

Naruto turned around to see a Sasuke who apparently had just woken up sitting in the hollow part of a tree. The blond reached the other man's hideout and grabbed his shirt.

" You gotta come quick!"

Sasuke pushed Naruto's hands off him.

" What is it?"

" Sakura-chan!" Naruto gasped. " She's having the baby!"

The black-haired man frowned.

" And you left her out there alone instead of staying by her side?!"

The two of them began dashing back to the village.

" I thought you'd want to be there! So I came to get you!"

"_Usuratonkachi_..."

Though Sasuke did not meet with Sakura (or Naruto) that often, he was well aware Sakura was due soon, and was excited deep down. He'd have to make sure no one would see him sneak inside the village, but even if someone did spot him, no one would (read:could) stop Sasuke from seeing Sakura and his baby.

The two young men successfully reached the hospital without trouble and raced to Sakura's room.

" Sakura-chan!" Naruto called as he slammed the door open. " Is the baby..."

" Shut up Naruto! You'll wake her up!" The young mother nagged, holding her new-born in her arms. Her face changed when she saw Sasuke behind the blond. " Sasuke-kun..."

" Sorry we missed it,it's Naruto's fault." the new father apologized. " So it's a girl..."

" What is it with all those girls?" Naruto complained as he put his arms on his hips. " Everyone had girls! It's a conspiracy, I tell you! Shikamaru is the only one who had a boy!"

" I don't mind at all," Sakura said softly.

Sasuke got closer to look at his new daughter and gave Naruto a leave-us-alone-you're-intruding look and the blond boy thought best to take his leave.

00

00

Several months had passed. Aoi was now nine months old and the tension between Tenten and Neji had escalated to never-before-seen proportions. Although the average person might have missed it, their friends could see through the way they acted and looked at each other that something was definitely not going well with those two. Those who did not know the true reason were just confused, while those who knew were simply sad for them.

Tenten was already fed up with lying to her friends and the scandalous rumors going around the village about Neji and Hinata, but the situation got worse. It had to get worse, she thought. There's no way life would give her a break.

Hinata too had a secret now. She tried to hide it as long as she could, but eventually it was no longer physically possible to keep it hidden. Keeping a close eye on her, Neji was obviously the first one to notice.

Hinata's belly was getting bigger and bigger. The thought that she might have simply gained weight was beyond plausible at this point. Ignoring all ethics, Neji used Byakugan on her and was appalled to discover that his cousin was indeed pregnant.

The first thing that went through the man's head was " What the hell was she thinking, getting pregnant? I'll be condemned for it for sure!"

When he managed to calm himself, he sighed and realized how unreasonable he was being. Hinata had already sacrificed so much for him. There was no way he could forbid her to have a romantic life just for his sake. She wasn't Aoi's mother. Therefore she had to be entitled to her own personal life. He had no right to force his selfishness on her any more. This one baby had nothing to do with him, thus there was nothing to lie about.

When Hinata's father realized that his daughter was pregnant, he immediately called for her and Neji, obviously jumping to the wrong conclusion.

" I thought I warned to stay away from my daughter!" the older man shouted. " Do you find that much pleasure in disgracing our family?"

Neji opened his mouth to explain, but Hinata talked first.

" No, father! You're wrong! Neji-nii-san has done nothing wrong! He isn't..."

" Silence!" the father snapped. " I'm not talking to you!"

" She is telling the truth, sir." Neji said calmly. " I swear I haven't touched Hinata-sama."

" Do you think I'm going to believe that? You've done it once, you could've done it again. Who else would've done it? I don't know how she possibly convinced you to have intercourse with her again, of all women, but you were a fool to accept. If you wanted a women so badly, you could've done better!"

Hinata lowered her head, deeply hurt that her father was convinced she wasn't desirable, while Neji was insulted that Hiashi thought he would be the kind to sleep around just for the fun of it.

" Hiashi-sama, I am not the father of this child!"

" You lied to me once. I have lost faith in you," the Hyuuga Head said sternly. " You are not to come to the Main Branch compound anymore. You will not approach Hinata anymore either!"

Neji grit his teeth. That meant he could no longer see Aoi! He had lied once about saying that Hinata's baby was born through rape and later admitting to be the father, and now Hiashi thought he was crying wolf again.

Hiashi turned to his daughter.

" As for you, you will be confined to your room until you have learned your lesson about fooling around!"

Hinata bowed her head, defeated.

" Yes, father..."

Neji looked sadly at his cousin and, for a second, thought he had seen her glare at him.

000

000

Not one week after the incident, Neji was leading a team for a A-Rank mission near the Tea Country. Team members included Tenten (despite the Hyuuga asking the Hokage to refrain from putting Tenten on his team for the time being due to...sparks between them recently), and two younger male chuunin.

As the group dashed through trees, the tension between the two parents was obvious to Yuusei and Isumi, the two chuunin. They had been on Neji's team a few times before, but it was the first time they had seen Tenten. And the woman was none too happy. She was in the lead with Neji while the other two trailed behind, observing the couple with amusement.

" What are we supposed to do now? You can't approach Aoi anymore!"

" Tenten, this isn't the time," her stoic boyfriend replied.

" And what about Hinata? She is punished because of you! She's done nothing and now..."

" Quiet," Neji whispered. " These two will hear."

" I don't care! I'm sick of this!"

As the two of them were arguing, Yuusei and Isumi chuckled behind.

" Looks like the commander's girl is a tough one! I guess the rumors weren't true after all."

" There seems to be trouble in paradise!"

" You are one selfish bastard, Neji! Hinata is suffering because of you! And Naruto..."

" Tenten!" the Hyuuga snapped. " Leave personal matters out of the mission or you will die."

There was a grunting sound and the girl finally quieted down. Neji was right. Emotions had to be kept out of missions because the inability to work together could potentially lead to the mission's failure or worse. That, and Neji didn't want to lose face to a woman in front of his subordinates.

Later, the group stopped in the woods for the night. Tenten was complaining again while Neji was telling her to stop being so loud.

" You said it was only temporary! That you would find a way. But you've done nothing! It's been nine months and nothing has changed!"

The two chuunin prepared to sleep while trying to eavesdrop on their commander's conversation. They had no idea what they were talking about, but found it amazing that someone was brave enough to talk back to their leader.

" I guess we know who wears the pants between these two, eh?"

" No kidding!"

Neji had tried his best not to raise his voice to her, but she pushed him to it.

" You think I've done nothing?" he snarled. " Do you know why I wasn't coming to see you as often anymore? I've spent hours researching the Hyuuga archives to see if there was a slip in the laws, anything I could use to my advantage to distance Aoi from the Branch without forfeiting her to the Main Family, but nothing helped."

" Why didn't you tell me!?"

" There was no point in telling you about failure. The only thing that could possibly solve the problem would be for me to either marry Hinata-sama or somehow miraculously become the Head of the Hyuuga clan. And I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Tenten was so frustrated that instead of talking back, she got up and left.

" Hey," Isumi cried out to her. " Where are you going? It's not safe out there!"

" I'm fine!"

Neji ignored her while Yuusei grinned.

" Oh, she ditched him good!"

"You know what they say," his friend added. " When things don't go well in the bedroom, they don't go well in the relationship either!"

Upon hearing this comment, Neji gave the two younger ninjas a glare so terrifying that they bowed their heads to him and apologized promptly before hiding under their blanket.

" Sorry, Commander!"

Neji sighed and tended to the fire, but he could still feel the curious eyes of the chuunin on him.

" Aren't you going to go after her?" one asked.

" Yeah, isn't she your girl?"

The Hyuuga turned his head away from them.

" She can do what she wants."

000

000

Tenten came back during the night and the next day the group reached the Tea Country and finished their mission. The team was resting in an inn before starting the journey home. While Yuusei and Isumi were pigging out on dango inside, Tenten was outside training when Neji came by. She ignored him and continued bashing on defenseless wooden posts.

" Fight with me," the man said suddenly.

" No, thanks."

Tenten continued to ignore him so Neji grabbed her wrist and forced her to turn his way.

" You're angry at me. Fight me, you'll feel better if you vent your frustration on me."

The woman must have agreed to this reasoning, because she threw a punch in Neji's direction without warning. He barely had time to evade it and jumped back. Tenten came at him, kicking and punching relentlessly. The man guarded and evaded, without striking back. The attacks were becoming so fierce that Neji could tell how much rage had been pilling up against him in Tenten's heart. Every attack, every weapon barely missing him and every drop of sweat were filled with pain. The Hyuuga was so heartbroken at the sight of the distress in the mother's eyes that he couldn't find the power to fight back. Tenten eventually had him pinned to a wall. She pulled back her arm, readying a final blow, and Neji braced himself to take the hit without attempting to avoid it.

Instead of the punch he was expecting, Neji received a brutal slap in the face. He looked at Tenten with confusion and saw that tears were rolling down her face. She had promised herself she would stop crying, but she couldn't help herself. She stood there, crying in silence, never taking her pained eyes off her boyfriend.

" Tenten...do you regret having my child?"

The girl thought for a long time before answering.

" I only regret that you're part of an awful family.I don't care if Aoi receives the curse mark!" Tenten cried. " I just want to be with her and stop this senseless charade!"

Neji gave her a sad smile and brushed the hair off her forehead.

" Alright. As soon as we get back, I'll go see Hiashi-sama and tell him the whole truth. Everything. I'm tired of being the bad guy."

00

00

Back in Konoha, Neji walked up to the gates of the Hyuuga compound, determined to tell the truth and face whatever consequences might come. However, guards in front of the entrance to the Main House stopped him.

" Sorry, Neji, but we have orders not to let you through anymore."

The young man growled.

" I have to speak with Hiashi-sama! It's important!"

The guard shook his head.

" I'm sorry. We're not allowed to let you enter the Main House compound under any circonstences for the time being."

Neji clenched his fists. He could take them on, but them being Main House members, they wouldn't hesitate to use the curse seal on him if needed. He had never actually had the seal used on him before, but had witnessed its use on others. He could only begin to imagine the pain it caused.

Frustrated, he muttered some bad words and walked away. Actually afraid to face Tenten with the bad news, he returned to his home at the Branch compound.

00

00

The next time Neji was allowed into the Main House, was when Hinata's baby was born, three months later. When Hinata returned from the hospital with the baby, various people told Hiashi that he _had_ to take a look at his daughter's child. Which he did, and explained why Neji had been called back here again.

Hinata was scared, her father and her cousin standing next to the baby's crib. Neji got his first look at the child and was not surprised to discover the young baby girl had blond hair and blue eyes. What bad luck. His daughter was born with Hyuuga eyes when he didn't want it, and Hinata's got the normal eyes when the opposite would've solved everyone's troubles.

" What is the meaning of this?" Hiashi shouted, referring to the baby's un-Hyuuga-like features.

" With all due respect sir," Neji began calmly, "I did say that I was not responsible for this baby."

" You didn't believe us, father." Hinata added.

" Don't you patronize me!" the older man snarled.

" Father, I'm sorry about..."

The woman couldn't finish before her father shouted again.

" You! How dare you bring an unpure heir to the family! What worth is this child without Kekkei Genkai? You promiscuous little..."

Hiashi raised his arm to strike his child and Hinata flinched, but Neji got in-between and stopped the man's hand just in time.

" You stay out of this!"

Neji gave his uncle an angry scowl, still clasping his wrist firmly.

" Long ago, I was told to protect this girl with my life against all harm." He let go of the man's hand. " If you can't see the woman that your daughter has become, it is your loss and yours only.

Hinata looked at her cousin, astonished by his words. Never had defended her like this before.

" Acknowledge this baby as your grandchild. As for Aoi..." Neji closed his eyes and took a big breath. " She isn't Hinata-sama's daughter. I'm indeed her father, but her real mother is my partner, Tenten."

" What?!"

" I told Hinata-sama to act like her mother because I didn't want my child to be part of the Branch family."

Hiashi was silent, overwhelmed by what he was hearing. Hinata was shocked, but deep down relieved that Neji had finally done the right thing.

" Neji, " Hinata's father finally announced. " Your pulling off such a large-scale scam cannot be forgiven. You are hereby banished from the Hyuuga clan. I don't want to see you here anymore. Take your daughter and go!"

" Very well," Neji replied emotionlessly, despite the psychological pain of being exiled from your clan. He knew his uncle could've sentenced him to a far worse fate for his crimes against the Main Family.

" You daughter shall receive the curse seal once she's ready, as the child of a Branch member and an outsider!"

Neji didn't say anything and turned around to leave. Just when he was about to go through the door, Hiashi added one more powerful line.

" Today, I repay my debt to my brother."

00

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Neji walked out the gate of the Hyuuga compound one last time, holding his child in one hand and a suitcase in the other, when rain started to fall down.

" Neji-nii-san!" Hinata's voice called out.

The young woman caught up to him, panting.

" Hinata-sama, you shouldn't be out here."

" I wanted to see you. And thank you."

" Thank me? I've done nothing but cause you pain."

Hinata smiled.

" That's not true. You came through in the end. And you stood up for me in front of Father. I'm sorry this is happening. Father wouldn't change his mind."

" It's fine," Neji smiled back. " It's better this way. Thank you for everything that you've done, Hinata-sama."

" Please, no more Hinata-sama," the girl said. "Hinata is fine."

Neji approached his cousin and kissed her cheek lightly.

" Thank you, Hinata."

The man picked up his suitcase and turned away.

" Midori."

" What?" Neji asked, confused.

" We named our daughter Midori. Naruto-kun insisted we gave her a name that relates to Aoi-chan's because he says our lives will always be intertwined."

The man gave her a warm smile.

" Is that so."

And then he was gone.

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When Tenten saw a very wet Neji shielding his daughter from the rain as much as he could while carrying a suitcase appear at her door, she knew that her nightmare was finally over.

At least for now.

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End chapter 6!

Yay! I'm happy with this one! What do you think? Did Neji redeem himself? The story is still far from over, though!

For those who don't know, aoi means blue and midori means green.

Sorry for the delay, please review!Next chapter: Fun things at last!


	8. Chapter 7 : Mother

Arrg again with the long wait. I'm busy. Busy I tell you! Working so many hours and going back to school and all... Bleh. Please continue to enjoy the story! No, it's not over soon! We're only reaching the end of the first half.

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**The Bonds of Time**

**Chapter Seven: Mother**

The truth was out. While friends who had been left in the dark about the whole thing were upset about being lied to, they were all happy to learn that Tenten's baby was indeed alive and that the rumors about Neji and Hinata were false. Gai was particularly overjoyed from the news and showered the couple with gifts.

Neji had difficulty healing the psychological scar of being exiled and forsaken from his own family, but he was adjusting just fine to his new life. One of the first thing Tenten and him did was getting married. So did Hinata and Naruto. The four of them decided on celebrating their weddings together. A huge party was organized and all friends and family were present, save for Hinata's father.

Gai and Lee both cried exuberant tears.

" They are all so beautiful!"

" Oh, I am so happy! This is wonderful!"

When Tenten and Hinata threw their bouquet at the crowd of single people awaiting eagerly, Lee and Chouji literally pushed away the screaming single women to grab the precious flowers.

" Please, I must have this!"

" This is mine! MINE!!"

Both beamed happily upon successfully catching them.

The only other unmarried person in the group, Kiba, made no move to try and catch the bouquet, muttering some words about marriage being crap. His current girlfriend he had brought to the party with him was disappointed upon hearing this, as she was dreaming of weddings herself. Kiba would be losing another girlfriend soon.

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It was hard on Tenten at first. Aoi was crying and crying, confused about her new surroundings and calling for her mother constantly. The woman was heartbroken. As she feared, Aoi did not recognize her as her mother and wanted Hinata instead. Only Neji was identified as a parent by Aoi.

" I knew this would happen..." Tenten cried.

" Give it time. She will remember you as her mother."

Aoi would learn to call Tenten 'mama', but it would take some time.

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Self-appointed babysitter Chouji Akimichi was having trouble pushing three different strollers. One-year-and-a-half-old twins Inori and Kotarou Yamanaka-Nara were still sharing a double stroller while pulling each other's hair. Too-smart-for-her-two-years-old Aruki Aburame could walk very well on her own already. Kouga Inuzuka, oldest kid in the group at two and a half years old, was still behind as far as talking went and preferred to walk on all fours rather than sit in a stroller, but had no choice today. Haimaru accompanied her as usual, never leaving her side. Dark pink haired, black eyed Nadeshiko Haruno-Uchiha was still young at six months old and was asleep in her stroller.

Chouji actually begged his friends to let him babysit their kids now. All the female attention he was getting! So very few girls had spoken to him in the past. That was changed now. Babies were awesome!

The man kept a watchful eye over the older kids who were now playing in the sand, with Nadeshiko still sleeping beside him, when he spotted the pretty woman he had met the other day. Long light brown hair and green eyes, she had such a kind smile. The lady spotted the children and recognized the man she had met a few weeks prior.

" Hello again," she waved. " I see you're working harder on babysitting today. Wow, there's five of them."

Chouji blushed.

" That's me, always landing a hand!"

To the man's astonishment, the woman sat down with him.

" I'm Hikari Nagisa. And you are?"

" Ch-Chouji Akimichi..."

" Oh, of the famous Akimichi clan?" to woman smiled.

" R-right," the bashful man said, proud that his name was known even to such a nice girl.

"They're all so cute," the woman beamed. " What are their names?"

Chouji pointed to the sleeping red-haired child beside him.

" That one is Nadeshiko Haruno. Or is it Nadeshiko Uchiha? I'm not sure... The girl with the sunglasses there is Aruki Aburame. She's so smart for her age. You might remember the twins Inori and Kotarou, and the tallest one with the red marks is Kouga Inuzuka. "

Hikari seemed to frown at the red triangles on Kouga's cheeks.

" Could it be...Kiba Inuzuka's child?"

Chouji blinked.

" Um, yes...You know him?"

" That player? Yeah, I know him," Hikari suddenly seemed irritated.

" You...went out with him?"

" Heavens, no!"

The man sighed of relief.

" My friends went out with him, though. I can't stand untrustworthy men like that!"

Note to self, Chouji thought, forget about asking Kiba tricks to pick up chicks.

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Lee sat on the porch of Tenten's apartment building, watching 16-months-old Aoi playing in the grass, while her mom was inside, minding house work. The man smiled tenderly at the little girl building roads with pebbles for the ants. He already loved her as if she were his own child and gladly took on the role of father whenever Neji was away.

Lee raised his head as he heard footsteps. In front of him now stood a tall woman with brown hair that appeared to be in her late forties. She had a cigarette to her mouth and looked pissed.

The young man brought Aoi closer to him protectively.

" Can I help you?" he asked politely.

The woman did not respond and instead moved her icy stare to the child in Lee's arms.

" So it's true then," she said dryly. " She really did marry a dirty Hyuuga."

The man frowned. " Who are you, if I may ask?"

" My daughter," the woman said as she threw the cigarette to the ground. " Is she up there?"

" You are Tenten's mother? Yes, she is inside but..."

The woman pushed Lee aside and went in. The man looked at the closing door, confused. What this really Tenten's mother? She was nothing like her.

Tenten was quite surprised to see the face of her mother she had not seen in years.

" What are you doing here?"

" Is that any way to greet your mother?" the older woman said and she came in without being offered to. " I heard you got married."

" Yeah," Tenten frowned. " We sent you an invitation and you did not come."

" I was busy, dear. So this is the dump you still live in, uh? You would've thought with your Jounin money you could afford something better."

The younger woman turned her back to her mother and resumed cleaning around the house.

" If you came to borrow money again, the answer is no."

Tenten's mom helped herself to the couch and lit another cigarette, much to her daughter's irritation.

" I came to take a look at my grandchild. I see she's got white eyes."

" So what of it?"

" You sure found yourself a troublesome man."

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Meanwhile, Lee still sat outside with Aoi, a bit worried about Tenten.

" Papa!" said the little girl's voice.

Lee raised his head to see Neji approaching. He let her pick up his daughter and stood up in front of the entrance.

" Hi there, you!" the father smiled. " Hey Lee."

" Neji, so you are back. How was the mission?" Lee asked nervously.

" Good."

He then took a step towards the door but Lee moved in front of him.

" Did you give your report to Hokage-sama, yet?"

Neji frowned.

" Yes, and can you move out of the way?"

" Err.." Lee staggered. "..no."

"What do you mean, no? Tenten is there, isn't she?"

" Yes but..."

" What are you hiding?"

" Nothing! But you cannot go inside!"

Neji raised an eyebrow.

" Why not?"

" Tenten..." Lee paused a moment before continuing, " is seeing another man up there!"

The Hyuuga smirked.

" All the more reasons to go in!"

He took one more step towards the door and pushed Lee aside.

" Neji! Tenten's mother is there. I do not advise going in. "

From the way Tenten's mother spoke, Lee figured out she did not like Hyuuga very much and was afraid she wouldn't react well to Neji.

" I'd like to see her."

The man sounded serious, so Lee finally stepped aside.

As Neji went up the stairs to the apartment after leaving Aoi with Lee, he remembered Tenten telling him once about how her mother never came to see her and that she was difficult to deal with. The young man entered the room without knocking, (he lived there now) and both female heads turned to him. Tenten looked at him with a _why did you have to show up now _face,and her mother with a look of disgust.

" Neji..." Tenten tried hesitantly, " this is my mother."

" Hi, I'm Neji Hyuuga," the man said politely, albeit with a scowl because he did not like the way the older woman was staring at him.

The mother did not respond and turned to Tenten instead.

" _This_ is the man you married?"

The daughter frowned. " _Yes,_ mom, I married him. At the wedding you did not come to."

Tenten's mother sank deeper into the couch and placed her feet on the coffee table.

" Heh. Good thing too. I wouldn't want to see that. A Hyuuga and an outsider getting married. A half-breed child born from it too!"

That was as much as Neji could take. Mother or not, he would not tolerate this kind of talk in his own home.

" I'm willing to bear with you making ill talk of me, but you will not speak this way about my wife or daughter."

Tenten's mother got up from her seat, as if she had been offended.

" I've always hated you creepy-eyed arrogant freaks!"

" Mother, please!" Tenten scolded, embarrassed of her mother's words. Neji glared furiously but remained silent.

" When I was young," Tenten's mom said more calmly now, " I dated a Hyuuga from the Main House."

Both Tenten and Neji were surprised at this and listened to the rest.

" We were so in love, but then the Hyuuga Clan found out and it made a scandal. An almighty Main House member and a lowly outsider? When it came down to the Clan or me, he chose the clan. I want nothing more to do with them." She turned to Tenten. " Then I met your good-for-nothing father and God knows where is today."

" That's unfortunate," Neji began, " but it has nothing to do with me."

Tenten was saddened by the story. Neji had tried to hide their relationship from his Clan for the longest time too, had he not? And in the end he was banished from the Hyuuga Clan because of the lie with Aoi, not because of her. What would he have done if faced with the same choice?

" I'm no longer part of the Clan anyways." A hint of pain could be heard in the man's sentence. " But I would choose the people I love over the Clan a hundred times over."

Tenten smiled. She should not have doubted him.

" You manners are highly arguable, but I will thank you for one thing. That is bringing Tenten into this world."

Her mom was at a loss for words. It looked like not all Hyuuga were jerks. But she'd never admit that.

" Well, look at the time," she said while looking at her wrist," I must be going. See you dear."

And she left just like that. The young woman sighed.

" I'm so sorry about that."

Neji kissed her forehead.

" Don't be. She may be horrible but she is your mother. It's wonderful that you still have one in this dangerous world we live in."

Tenten remembered how her husband had grown up without any parents and realized how fortunate she was still.

" What's that smell?" the man suddenly asked.

" Aw crap," the woman answered, sniffing the air. " She distracted me and I forgot the oven..."

Neji gave her an empathic smile, but then after a long day of work, his stomac grumbled.

Right on cue, Lee came in with Aoi beside him, holding his leg. He held two white boxes.

" I saw your mother on the way back. She seemed in a slightly better mood than when she came in. I figured you would not have time for dinner, so I brought take-out!"

" Take-out!" the little girl echoed.

The couple greeted Lee with great joy (but mostly the food)and the four of them had dinner together, like they had so many times before and like they would still be doing. Mom, dad, daughter and big brother/uncle/lifelong friend.

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Back at the Hyuuga compound, things had become depressing for Hinata. She missed her cousin, but so did her younger sister Hanabi. Neji used to be her training partner and now she had no one. Hanabi had also become bitter towards Hinata ever since the lie about Aoi being her and Neji's child, but truthfully, she felt relieved that it wasn't true. Yet the fact that her cousin had left to be with an outsider woman infuriated her. She had always looked up to him, but now she hated him as much as she loved him.

Hinata and her father avoided each other, and Hiashi had completely dismissed her daughter Midori as being part of the Hyuuga Clan. Hinata was allowed to do as she pleased, because he had given up on her, and what quite hurt. Naruto came to see her all the time, ignoring all rude remarks the clan 

shouted at him. He said he did not give a damn about them, and that Hinata should come live with him. The woman shook her head. She couldn't. She was still bound here.

" When I become Hokage, I'll be changing all that crap!"

Hinata smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, holding their child close. _They _were her family now. It wasn't so painful as long as they were here.

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To be continuuuuued

Sorry about the Ocs...I know people hate them but I needed them.

I hope you guys are not dropping the story just because I'm slow ... Next chapter will also be slow to come, but it will! Continue to read and review please!

Next chapter: More child fun? Stay tuned.


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